Nov 2nd - Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation - "Production of Electrolyte for Li-ion Batteries to Start in the UK and the US"

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation ("MCC"; Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshimitsu Kobayashi) has decided to establish new companies to manufacture and sell electrolyte for Li-ion batteries (LiBs) in the UK and the US. Both new operations will be located on the premises of production sites of Lucite International Group Limited (Head office: Southampton, the UK; CEO: Ian R. Lambert) that is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Masanao Kambara). MCC, as the only company in the world to provide all four key LiB materials - electrolyte, anode, cathode, and separator, will further develop the LiB materials business by offering optimal material solutions meeting customer needs and being committed to consistent quality and global supply. 1. Outline of the New Company in the UK   • Name TBD   • Location Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, the UK   • Capital 8.3 million GBP (Approx. 1.1 billion JPY) - MCC 100% -   • Production Capacity 10,000 MT/Year   • Capital Expenditure Approx. 2.5 billion JPY (Under examination)   • Commercial Operation Scheduled to begin in the autumn of 2011 2. Outline of the New Company in the US   • Name TBD   • Location Memphis, Tennessee, the US   • Capital 13.1 million USD (Approx. 1.1 billion JPY) - MCC 100% -   • Production Capacity 10,000 MT/Year   • Capital Expenditure Approx. 2.5 billion JPY (Under examination)   • Commercial Operation Scheduled to begin in the summer of 2012 3. MCC's Capacity Expansion Plan of the Four Key LiB Materials (Unit: "m2/Year" for separator, "MT/Year" for the others)   Production Capacity, Location Capacity Expansion Plan, Location, Commencement of Commercial Operation Target Capacity in 2015 Expansion Area Electrolyte 8,500, Yokkaichi +5,000, Yokkaichi, Feb. 2012 +10,000, the UK, Autumn 2011 +10,000, the US, Summer 2012 50,000 Japan and Overseas Anode 3,000 Sakaide +2,000, Sakaide, Dec. 2010 +2,000, Sakaide, May 2011 +4,000, China, Mar. 2012 35,000 Japan and Overseas Cathode 600 Mizushima +1,600, Mizushima, Oct. 2010 15,000 Japan Separator 12 million, Nagahama, Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.   72 million Japan   Expected Sales of Four Materials in Fiscal 2010: 17 billion JPY   Expected Sales of Four Materials in Fiscal 2015: 80 billion JPY Locations of the New Companies   Lucite, the UK   Lucite, the US